The gospel according to Matthew
Chapter 23
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1. τοτε ο ιησους ελαλησεν
τοις οχλοις και τοις μαθηταις αυτου Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and
to his disciples, |
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2. λεγων επι της μωσεως[1]
καθεδρας εκαθισαν οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι saying, “The scribes and the
Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. |
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3. παντα ουν οσα αν[2]
ειπωσιν υμιν τηρειν τηρειτε και ποιειτε κατα δε τα εργα αυτων μη ποιειτε
λεγουσιν γαρ και ου ποιουσιν Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe[3], observe and do, but do not
do their works; for they say, and do not do. |
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4. δεσμευουσιν γαρ φορτια
βαρεα και δυσβαστακτα και επιτιθεασιν επι τους ωμους των ανθρωπων [4] τω δε
δακτυλω αυτων ου θελουσιν κινησαι αυτα For[5] they bind heavy burdens,
hard to bear[6] and lay them on men’s
shoulders, but they will not move them with their finger. |
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5. παντα δε τα εργα αυτων ποιουσιν προς το θεαθηναι τοις ανθρωποις πλατυνουσιν γαρ[15] τα φυλακτηρια αυτων και μεγαλυνουσιν τα κρασπεδα των ιματιων αυτων But they do all their works to be seen by men. For they
make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the fringes of their garments,[7] |
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6. φιλουσιν δε[8] την
πρωτοκλισιαν εν τοις δειπνοις και τας πρωτοκαθεδριας εν ταις συναγωγαις and they love the first places at feasts and the first
seats in the synagogues, |
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7. και τους ασπασμους εν
ταις αγοραις και καλεισθαι υπο των ανθρωπων ραββι and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be
called rabbi[9] by men. |
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8. υμεις δε μη κληθητε
ραββι εις γαρ εστιν υμων ο καθηγητης[10] παντες
δε υμεις αδελφοι εστε But you are not to be called rabbi, for one is
your master [11], and you are all brothers. |
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9. και πατερα μη καλεσητε
υμων επι της γης εις γαρ εστιν ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις[12] ουρανοις And call no one your father on earth, for one is
your Father, he who is in heaven. |
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10. μηδε κληθητε καθηγηται
εις γαρ[13] υμων
εστιν ο[14]
καθηγητης ο χριστος Neither be called masters, for one is your master,
the Christ. |
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11. ο δε μειζων υμων εσται
υμων διακονος But he who is greatest among you shall be your
servant. |
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12. οστις δε υψωσει εαυτον
ταπεινωθησεται και οστις ταπεινωσει εαυτον υψωθησεται And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and
whoever humbles himself will be exalted. |
[1] NA-Text reads “μωυσεως”
[2] NA-Text and M-Text read “εαν”, which is supported by codices א, Θ and the Byzantine minuscules. The TR is
supported by codices B, D, Chrysostom and Theophylact. The support for the TR
is excellent and stands in no need of correction.
[3] NA-Text and VgSt omit “to
observe” (Gr.: τηρειν). The omission is supported by codices א2, B, D, L, Z, Θ, 0281, family of manuscripts ƒ1, minuscules
22, 124 and 892. The inclusion is supported by codices W, Δ, Φ, 0102, 0107, family of
manuscripts ƒ13, minuscules
565, 579, 700 (Gr.: ποιειν), the
Byzantine minuscules, the Peshitta, the Harklean Syriac version, the
Diatessaron and Theophylact. The longer reading in this case should be preferred
because it accounts for the shorter readings in a scenario of clear volatility due
to parabletic errors, which are: visual homoeoarcton (τηρειν τηρειτε, thus
missing “to observe” or “observe”), visual homoeoteleuton (τηρειν
τηρειτε και ποιειτε, thus missing “observe”
or “and do”), visual homoeoteleuton (ποιειν τηρειτε και ποιειτε, thus missing “observe and” as in Chrysostom and
codex Γ) and
visual homoeoarcton (ποιειν ποιησατε
και τηρειτε, thus missing “to do” in the
place of “to observe” as in the Alexandrian text).
[4] NA-Text adds “αυτοι” and renders “but they themselves”.
[5] NA-Text and VgSt read “δε” instead of “γαρ” (Latin: “autem” instead of “enim”), which is supported by codices א, B, the Diatessaron and Jerome. The Byzantine reading is supported by codices D, Θ, the Byzantine minuscules, Chrysostom and Theophylact. Matthew is using “γαρ” in this context to explicate and develop the “for they say and do not do” of the previous verse so that “γαρ” must stand as the correct reading.
[6] NA-Text brackets “hard to
bear” as doubtful. There can be little or no doubt that this portion, missing
in a few Greek manuscripts, was lost accidentally by parablepsis (και
δυσβαστακτα και, thus missing “and hard to bear”).
[7] NA-Text and VgSt omit “of
their garments”. The omission is supported by codices א, B, D,
Θ, family of manuscripts ƒ1, minuscule 22, 7 old Latin codices and the Sahidic
and middle Ӕgyptian Coptic versions and
Jerome. The inclusion is supported by codices L, W, 0102, 0107, family
of manuscripts ƒ13, minuscules 33 and 892, the
Byzantine minuscules, 4 old Latin codices, the Bohairic Coptic, the Syriac
versions and the Armenian version, the Diatessaron, Basil, Chrysostom (Homily
72) and Theophylact. Codices L and Δ read “of the garments”. In the New Testament
the word “fringe” occurs 5 times (Matt. 9:20, 14:36, 23:5, Mk. 6:56 and Lk.
8:44) and in all instances it appeared followed by “of their garments”. Besides,
in this verse, “phylacteries” appears with the personal pronoun “their”, which
is an indication that Matthew wanted to qualify both nouns. “Their fringes”
would be a viable variant as it appears in some manuscripts of the vulgate, Sahidic
Coptic and the Ethiopic version, but the unqualified noun “fringe” has all indication
of being a scribal error. What probably happened here was that one or two words
of this complement were missed by homoeoteleuton, which ended up creating a
non-sensical reading that lead to its removal all together. We can posit the
loss of “ιματιων αυτων”
through homoeoteleuton from the text “των ιματιων αυτων”, thus resulting in a non-sensical
genitive “των” after fringes or the loss of “ιματιων”
through homoeoteleuton “των ιματιων αυτων”, thus resulting in a non-sensical
“των αυτων”. The various readings that survived in the manuscript tradition missing
“αυτων” as in
codex L and Δ or “ιματιων αυτων” in the Latin, Coptic and
Ethiopic versions demonstrates that scribes were prone to miss words here by parablepsis.
[8] NA-Text and VgSt read “δε” (Latin equivalent: “autem”), which is supported by codices א, B, D, Θ, Jerome and Theophylact. The support for the NA-Text in the combination
of all text-types is excellent here. “τε” is probably a copyist error failing
to copy “δε”. The Greek text has then been adjusted, following the NA-Text.
[9] NA-Text and VgSt omit the
second occurrence of “Rabbi”. The omission of the second occurrence is
supported by codices א, B, L, Δ, Θ, Σ, 0102, 0107, family of manuscripts ƒ1, minuscules 892 and 1241, the
Peshitta, the Sahidic and the Bohairic Coptic versions, the Armenian, the Ethiopic,
the Georgian, the Arabic version, the Diatessaron, Cyprian (Treatise 12.3), Chrysostom
and Jerome. The inclusion is supported by codices D, E, F, G, H, K, M, S, U, V,
W, Y, Γ, Ω, 0107, family of manuscripts ƒ13, the Byzantine minuscules, the
Curetonian Syriac, the Syriac Sinaiticus and the Harklean Syriac and
Theophylact. The widespread and early nature of the single “Rabbi” qualifies it
for having preserved the original from which all those different versions and
text-types derived. Erasmus’ first and fifth editions of the TR did not contain the second “Rabbi”. Stephanus added it to the text probably from codex Bezae. The grammar of the double “rabbi” in this sentence is clumsy, suggestive of scribal intervention. There is no indication here that Jesus meant to reproduce a common saying about them within quotes, but just an accusation about the fact that they enjoyed the title of doctors of the law attached to them, confirmed by the use of a single “rabbi” in context in the following verse. The Greek text has been adjusted
following the NA-Text.
[10] NA-Text reads “διδασκαλος” (teacher) instead of “καθηγητης” (master). The Byzantine reading is supported by majuscules of all text-types and both family of manuscripts ƒ1 and ƒ13.
[11] NA-Text and VgSt omit “the
Christ”. The omission is supported by codices א, B, D, L, W, Θ, Π, family
of manuscripts ƒ1, minuscules 22, 33, 124,
788, Old Latin, the Coptic versions, the Peshitta and the Syriac Sinaiticus, the
Diatessaron, Chrysostom and Jerome. The inclusion is supported by codices K, Γ,
Δ, Σ, 0102, family of manuscripts ƒ13, minuscules 28, 700, 892c,
1010, 1241, 1424, the Byzantine minuscules, the Curetonian Syriac and the
Harklean Syriac** and Theophylact. The support for the omission is more
widespread and earlier. The accretion of “the Christ” in this verse is most certainly
a harmonization with verse 10 that reads the exact same “ο
καθηγητης ο χριστος”. Therefore, the Greek text and the translation have been adjusted
following the NA-Text.
[12] NA-Text omits “εν τοις” and renders literally “and
one is your father, who heavens”, which is clearly a scribal error. Besides, “ουρανοις” occurs 17 times in the
gospel of Matthew and, in all instances, it is accompanied by the preposition “εν” so that the omission of
the preposition here has most certainly not come from Matthew’s pen.
[13] NA-Text and VgSt read
“οτι” (Latin equivalent: “quia”), which is
supported by codices B, D, Θ, L, minuscules 33, 118, 124,
700, 788, 892, 1582, family of manuscripts ƒ1 and ƒ13, 4 old Latin codices, the
Curetonian Syriac and the Syriac Sinaiticus version, Jerome. “γαρ” is supported by codices א, K, W, Δ,
0102, 0104vid, 0107vid, 0133, minuscules 28, 565, 1010,
1241 and 1424, the Byzantine minuscules, 2 old Latin codices, the (Peshitta), the
Harklean Syriac and the Coptic versions, the Diatessaron, Chrysostom and
Theophylact. Both are well supported and because they can mean the same thing,
there is no need to dogmatically define which one is correct.
[14] NA-Text omits the definite article “ο”.
[15] NA-Text and P-Text read “γαρ” (“for” instead of the silent “and” in this context), which is supported by codices א, B, D and Θ (γρα). “And” is supported by the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. The Alexandrian conjunction has been adopted in the Greek text and the translation.
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Notes:
1. Text in red letters are places where the original reading in the Textus Receptus has been revised and corrected;
2. The English translation used as a reference is the WEB brought to conformity as literal as possible to the Textus Receptus. The end product though is not the WEB or a revised WEB and it should not be called WEB. The content of this post is freely available to everyone and it is not supposed to be copyrighted;
3. TR: Textus Receptus. This text is not copyrighted;
4. NA-Text: Nestle-Aland text commonly known as critical text;
5. M-Text: Majority Text;
6. VgSt: Vulgate of Stuttgart;
7. WPF35: Wilbur Pickering-family 35;
8. P-Text: Patriarchal Text, also known as Patriarchal Greek New Testament, published by the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
9. The creator of the variant apparatus available in the VarApp kindly gave me permission to freely use the information contained in the material he put together.
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To God all the glory for the preservation of the scriptures! He reigns!
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